THE LESSEE BLACK-BACKED GULL. 
375 
May 4th, 1850. A fisherman at Derrywarragli island, Lough 
Neagh, told ns that the common tern, black-headed and “ pollan 
gull,” used to breed on Coney Island, off Maghery Bay, where he 
had seen their eggs. Lor the last two years, however, they had 
not done so owing to a family living constantly on the island, 
and the children disturbing the birds. We remarked the two 
species of gulls about the lake to-day, assuming immature birds 
to be more probably L. fuscus than L. argentatus. A party 
visiting Bands Island on the 4th of June 1850, saw about 
twenty of these gulls in various stages of plumage seated on the 
stones adjacent to the island, but they could not find any of their 
nests, nor obtain information respecting their breeding there. On 
the 12th of the same month, a few were seen about Toome, and a 
boatman stated that they formerly bred on Scawdy Island, but 
do not now.* 
In the island at Lough Conn (Mayo), already alluded to as a 
breeding-haunt of the black-headed gull, not less than a dozen 
nests of the lesser black-backed species were observed in 1840 or 
1841. f When on the borders of Lough Carra, in the same county, 
on the 4th of July, 1834, an adult bird flew within a few yards 
of us. 
I have often remarked the partiality of the lesser black-backed 
gull to ascending rivers as well as to visiting inland lakes. One, 
two, or three of these birds may be seen occasionally in winter, 
and daily in spring (in some seasons so early as February), 
flying tolerably high above the river Lagan, near Belfast, J and 
proceeding so far as the first fall above the sea, where the flow 
of the tide terminates, and the canal commences. Once only have 
I seen them farther up the river, when a couple of young birds 
appeared nearly two miles above tide-reach. They seem indif- 
ferent whether the tide be in or out, and I have very rarely 
observed them to stoop to the water for food. Immature birds 
are more scarce here than adults, which from the contrasted 
* Mr. J. R. Garrett. f Mr. B. Ball. 
t A tine adult specimen, shot in the hay here in August, and preserved for the 
Museum, was, in length 22 inches, breadth 4 feet inches, weight 2 lbs. 
